Sri Lanka Published 234 Research Papers in Psychiatry from 2012 to 2021: Comparison with 76 Research Fields

Abstract

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are only involved in 3-4% of mental health research, and the engagement of Early Career Psychiatrists (ECPs) is declining. A total of 21,986 documents have been published in Sri Lanka with 395,157 citations, resulting in 18 citations per publication (CPP) and a 1.48 Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI). The highest number of documents are published in Medicine (n=5704), followed by Computer Science (n=4847) and Engineering (n=4598). Some of the main barriers to research include a lack of technical support, funding, and a poor research culture. In order to improve research output and quality, international collaborations, grants, and research infrastructure are urgently needed.